Muslims and Jews

A Jew and a Muslim playing chess in 13th century al-Andalus. El Libro de los Juegos, commissioned by Alphonse X of Castile, 13th century

The relationship between Jews and Muslims in the pre-modern period has been described by some scholars as “symbiotic.” We will examine the factors that enabled that symbiosis, as well as the factors that threatened it. By looking at case studies of Muslim-Jewish relations in Spain, Iraq, Egypt and Syria, we will try to identify the religious and social factors that led to toleration or persecution of Jews. Finally, we will look at the factors in the 19th and 20th centuries that led Muslim-Jewish relations to unravel. These include Western colonialism, Zionism, Arab nationalism, Islamist movements and the Arab-Israeli conflict.